Falanai Ala Professional Guest Speaker and
Mentor Series for Schools

Falanai Ala was a Facilities Manager in the Long Beach Unified School District, past NPIEN president, and one who believed in providing role models for Pacific Islander students, as we are underrepresented in many professions. Most of our Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander students have never seen a professional for our community in Education, Business, Medicine and many other fields. This program reaches out to about 1,000 students annually and is now available virtually. The speakers will participate in Career Days, Classroom Visits, Assemblies, Read-Alouds and school mentoring programs.

2021 Speakers List 

Falanai Ala with EVS Students
Falana’i Ala with Soledad Santos and Evergreen College Students


SCHOOL VISITS

ABC USD: Palms Elementary School; Artesia High School, Willow Elementary School, Juarez Elementary School
Bellflower USD: Washington Elementary School, Bellflower High School, Somerset High School, Mayfair High School
Centinela Valley UHSD: Leuzinger High School, Hawthorne High School
Compton USD: Davis Middle School, Compton High School; Kennedy Elementary School, Roosevelt Middle School; Dominguez High School, Willowbrook Middle School, Centennial High School
Downey USD: Downey High School, Alameda Elementary School
Fullerton Joint Union High School District: Fullerton Union High School
Hacienda La Puente Unified School District:
Los Altos Elementary School
Hawthorne School District
: Prarie Vista Middle School, Lawndale School District: Will Rogers Middle School
Lawndale School District: Will Rogers Middle School
Long Beach USD: Stanford Middle School; Hughes Middle School, Jackie Robinson Academy, Cabrillo High SchoolJordan High School, Lakewood High School; California Academy of Math and Science (CAMS); Hoover Middle School; Riley Elementary School, Long Beach Unified School District: Jordan Freshman Academy, Millikan High School, Poly High School, Hamilton Middle School, Washington Middle School, Jessie Elwin Nelson Academy, Millikan High School
Los Angeles USD: Carson High School, Hope Street Elementary School; Trinity Street Elementary School, Los Angeles County Office of Education, Del Amo Elementary School
Los Angeles County Office of Education: Camp Gonzalez, Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall, Central Juvenile Hall
Lynwood USD: Vista High SchoolAbbott Elementary School, Lynwood Middle School
Manhattan Beach Unified School District: Pennekamp Elementary School
Montebello Unified School District: Applied Technology Center High School
Newport Mesa USD: Costa Mesa High School
Oxnard Union High School District
: Hueneme High School
Paramount USD: Paramount High School West Campus, Paramount High School, Lakewood Elementary School, Buena Vista High School, Paramount Park Middle School
San Diego City School District: Morse High School, Del Rio Elementary School
Windward Community College, Kaneohe, Hawaii
Everett (Washington) Public Schools
California State University, Long Beach - Pacific Islanders Association
Long Beach City College Pacific Islanders Association
University of Southern California, PULE
University of Washington

TeilaWillowbrook
Teila Robertson speaking at Willowbrook Middle School

GUEST SPEAKERS

NPIEN thanks the following who have visited our students and schools:

Education K-12: Long Beach USD Deputy Superintendent Ruth Perez Ashley, Educator Rata Hannemann, , Dr. Mark Jones, Director/Principal, Compton USD, Dr. Dyahn Lal, Retired Superintendent, Lynwood USD, Renee Tiedemann Maravel, Teacher, Lennox Middle School, Martha Donnenfleid, Educator, Donny Faaliliu, After School Program Director, Mark Kailiponi, Principal, Somerset High School, Sokhom Phou, Tosin Balogun, Dr. Monica Sanchez, Tauvaga Ho Ching and Dr. Victor Thompson, Los Angeles County Office of Education, Dr. Diana Faatai, Dean/Teacher, Carson High School and Principal, E&T STEM Academy, Los Angeles USD, Will Safotu, Counselor, Los Angeles USD and Long Beach USD

Education: College and University: Pomona College Director Iosefa Aina, Dr. Keith Camacho, Professor, UCLA, Dr. Michael Perez, Professor, CSU Fullerton, Brittany Jean Noelani Valdez, Graduate Student, USC, Dr. Kalani Beyer, Dean, Pacific Oaks College, Renay Laguana, Counselor, Cypress College, Teila Robertson, Administrator, Long Beach City College, Mace Porotesano, Graduate Student, D. Kalani Heinz, Graduate Student, Juliann Anesi, UCLA, Shirley Arceo, Cerritos College and Student Ambassadors, Sean Cully, Long Beach City College, Emalina Thompson, Rutgers University, Art Medina, California State University, Long Beach, LooLoo Amante, Long Beach City College, Brian Alofaituli, UCLA, Kiri Saliata, UCLA, Michelle Erai, UCLA

Medicine: Pua Palei, Researcher at Long Beach Memorial Hospital, Dr. Mafutaga S. Tagaloa-Tulifau, Podiatrist, Dr. Raynald Samoa, Endocrinologist

Educational Support and Community Services: DCFS Social Worker Vaka Faletau, Mahonri Sapiga, DCFS Social Worker and Adjunct Professor, CSU Dominguez Hills, Robert Holguin, DPSS, Vanessa Tuione May, Tongan Community Service Center, Raisa Mataalii, Office of Samoan Affairs, Phong Luu and Stacy Lewis, APIASF, Lieutenant Poe Siavi'i Jr., Long Beach Police, Carmen Moncure, Long Beach Police, Mahonri Tupou, Census 2020, Emerald Leiataua, Youth Development

Business: Maleine Manumaleuga, Hitachi Ioane Taeleifi, Mortgage Company CEO, Henry Dang, Horace Mann Companies, Ben Raju, Small Business Administration, Chris Maumalanga, former NFL player

Law: Attorney Meghan Blanco

Arts and Music: Uncle Henry Kamae, Ukulele Instructor Jewel Castro, Artist, Tui Letuli, Pacific Arts Academy, John Harrington, Musician, Dan Taulapapa McMullin, Artist, Sisa Grey, Actress

Government: Melody Ngaue Tu'uholoaki, Field Deputy, Long Beach City Councilman Al Austin
Author: Daniel Pouesi, Juliann Anesi

Author: Daniel Pouesi, Juliann Anesi